Oriented on making people closer

The immortal lines of the great eastern poet and thinker Magtymguly Fragi sounded in the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on August 21 at an evening dedicated to his 300th anniversary. A scientific conference, art and book exhibitions that caused great audience interest were timed to the event.

The concert “He Truly Became the Mouth of Turkmenistan” combined the efforts of two Moscow festivals. The hospitable host was the Moscow State Conservatory's beloved festival "Gathering Friends", the theme of which is the music of the peoples of the world. The program was filled by the team of the gaining momentum international festival "Sounds of Dutar" named after composer Nury Khalmamedov, who is called the Turkmen Orpheus in his homeland. Khalmamedov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Professor Anatoly Alexandrov - an important point of intersection, which turned into a celebration of the music of our countries.

In Russia, people treat Magtymguly with great reverence. They translate, research, and are inspired to create music and works of fine art based on his motives. The poet's words contain the bitterness of loneliness and a call for unity, doubts and ardent faith, close to the Russian soul. That is why the master's legacy became the leitmotif of the concert, uniting the hearts of performers and listeners. This important moment was emphasized in the greetings of rector of the Moscow Conservatory, Professor Alexander Sokolov, and Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Russia Esen Aydogdyev (he, together with the embassy staff, honored the evening with their presence).

The evening's program was a historical cross-section of interpretations of Fragi's poetry by composers of various styles and generations. Turkmen artists - tenor Begdurdy Cherkezov and soprano Gozel Annakhanova - recalled the Turkmen classics of the 20th century. They performed romances by venerable symphonist Veli Mukhatov, outstanding conductor Khydyr Allanurov, as well as an aria from the opera "Magtymguly" by Yuli Meitus, created during the evacuation in Ashgabat. The brightness, epicness, and relief of this, as they say, "music of a noble style" captivate listeners even today. The singers truthfully conveyed the images created by the authors, using a unique but convincing vocal style on the verge of academic and folk sounds.

An important page of both the concert and the music of Turkmenistan is the works of the composers of the "sixties", who can be attributed to the "new folklore wave". The vector of their work determined the subsequent stages of the development of the country's art. Two poles of this period: the "melodist" Nury Khalmamedov and the "polyphonist" Chary Nurymov. Despite the contrast in their approach to organizing the musical fabric, they are similar in their rootedness in folk melodies, and their penetrating transmission of Magtymguly's prophetic words. Moscow singer Yana Kolomiets (piano part by Maria Buyanova) was remembered for her interpretation of Khalmamedov's romances. The actress's voice combines feminine fragility and bright pathos, each of the images is lived and revealed to the end. The artist also performed the most complex "Eastern Romance" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to the verses of Alexei Koltsov - wonderful verses and music inspired by Turkmen lyrics.

No less interest was aroused by the music of the living masters of Turkmenistan. This is the head of the country's composer school Jeren Kurbanklycheva, her student Aina Shirova, as well as a representative of the Alfred Schnittke school Rovshen Nepesov and pianist-improviser Aylar Saparmuradova. The music of young composers was performed for the first time. There was shown the line of evolution of the creative aspirations of our contemporaries from graphic and strict "academic" music to the search for a language accessible to a wide audience, akin to the trend that in Russia was called the "third direction". Particular attention was drawn to the artistry and the author's openness and sincerity in her dedication to Fragi's favorite flower, saffron, by Aylar Saparmuradova.

One of the key events of the concert was the world premiere of the Diptych on the poems of Magtymguly by the leading Russian composer, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor Kirill Volkov. The piercing tragedy of the poems "I Don't Understand" and "Swans" was close to the master's heart, as there is something incomprehensibly close to Russian poetry. The music was written especially for Moscow singers Elena Druzhinkina and Maria Mityureva, as well as for the pianist Maria Buyanova. The trio of young girls, who had just recently graduated from universities, surprised with their performing and acting maturity. The artists not only brilliantly coped with the most complex score, but also fully revealed its figurative structure, content, and philosophy. This was real magic of art, which you rarely encounter. The cycles of Mamed Guseynov were performed just as convincingly, brightly, and captivatingly: Diptych on the poems of Hadji Kakaliev (Maria Mityureva) and Diptych on the poems of Baudelaire (Elena Druzhinkina) - a kind of dialogue of eras and times.

The solo performances of the pianists with the works of Mamed Guseinov were memorable. Elisey Babanov played the Intermezzo from the opera "Solomon" with captivatingly subtle lyricism, academically verified and deeply heartfelt. Maria Buyanova performed "Inspiration" with an epic scope, full-sounding and wide-ranging feelings. The pianist's program also included a virtuoso transcription of the Oriental Dance and Bacchanalia from "Raymonda" by Alexander Glazunov, inspired by ancient destans, performed by the author together with Alexander Winkler. Due to its increased complexity, this piece was almost never performed, but Maria coped with it brilliantly, "extracting" from the wayward "Steinway" all the colors and power of the Glazunov orchestra.

The music of Mamed Guseynov played the role of a kind of refrain of the concert program. This is both unsurprising and deserved, since the composer combines the musical cultures of Russia and Turkmenistan in his work and social activities. In addition to the above-mentioned compositions, a number of large forms created by Mamed Guseynov based on the poetry of Magtymguly and Turkmen folklore were performed in the Rachmaninov Hall.

The program opened with the "Turkmen Rhapsody" performed by a quartet of graduates of the Turkmen National Conservatory consisting of: Aybolek Mukhyeva, Seyran Kasimi, Elman Nasyrov, Annaoraz Dovletov, in collaboration with Russian clarinetist Sergey Zakopaylo. Darya Guseinova performed the solo to the lines from Fragi's poem "The Future of Turkmenistan" with inspiration. Given the small number of rehearsals, the participation of a conductor was needed, and this role was taken on by host of the concert, Evgeniy Volkov. The rhapsody, intended for state holidays and joyful days, became a bright epigraph of the evening.

The Turkmen quartet demonstrated a very high culture of ensemble playing and genuine mastery both here and in the quartet “Parthian Frescoes” that concluded the first part. The work is written in a variation form close to Glazunov’s thinking and immerses listeners in the hypnotic atmosphere of distant antiquity.

A creative family gathered around the altar of art – this is how one can describe the Guseynov family, all of whose members were on stage that evening. Mamed Guseynov performed as a solo pianist, and also skillfully and carefully accompanied his wife, the wonderful artist of the Helikon Opera, Daria Guseynova, in her wonderfully performed multi-faceted, multi-genre, multi-style music, which required sensitivity to the author's material, a sense of style, and acting skills. All of this was demonstrated in abundance by the wonderful singer, on whose shoulders fell the responsibility for a significant part of the program.

Darius Guseynov, the successor of the family dynasty, is also creatively multifaceted. The young musician performed both as a pianist and as a solo singer. The talented young man succeeded in each of these roles, and we have the right to expect new creative victories from him.

The multicolored talents in honor of the great poet became a solemn wreath in the finale of the concert, which was the final number - the monoopera by Mamed Guseynov "Monologues of Magtymguly Fragi" performed by the author, Daria Guseynova and cellist Ivan Kuzmin. This wonderful holiday of brotherhood of peoples, poetic word and music became possible thanks to the Moscow State Conservatory, the team of the festival "Sounds of Dutar" headed by Mamed Guseynov, the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Russia. A deep bow to them all! We hope for new meetings!

musicologist, music and theatre critic A. Polyakov

Photo: provided by the organizing committee of the festival "Sounds of Dutar"